New product smashes last frontier for productivity – speed; increases dozer speed up to 200%

Livermore, CA -- Topcon Positioning Systems' (TPS) new machine control system - 3D-MC2 - can increase dozer speed for grading up to 200 percent, or even more, while providing unprecedented smoothness.

Ray O'Connor, Topcon president and CEO, called the 3D-MC2 breakthrough "as tearing down the last barrier in regard to increasing job site productivity - speed."

O'Connor said, "There's never been anything like this in construction machine automation. Topcon's 3D-MC2 technology speeds up the position calculation by a factor of 10 from today's systems. This allows for faster positioning in real time, which means the machine can be controlled to design grade at much faster speeds than any other system.

"With Topcon's GPS+GLONASS technology, productivity was dramatically increased due to precise positioning and accuracy. With 3D-MC2 increasing a dozer's operating speed, there's yet additional savings in time and money on every job.

Topcon's 3D-MC2 technology allows dozers to perform 3D grading in second or third gear with unprecedented smoothness.
                            
“This is not a technology that just any company can do. Any company can use sensors and think of the concept of getting a dozer to go faster with increased accuracy. What's different here is that Topcon used the proper algorithms, satellite signal filters, the proper arithmetic formulas and the scientists and engineers at Topcon's global technology centers, all working together, to accomplish yet another world's first construction development."

O'Connor said, "Topcon was the first company offering contractors the option of going stakeless at every phase of the job with 3D GPS machine control systems. It now is the first company to combine what the best science and engineering has to offer to break through the last barrier of construction productivity - speed."

"This is not fantasy. It's real. It's revolutionary technology ... and it's only from Topcon."

Murray Lodge, TPS director of construction sales, said, "Using Topcon's GX-60 controller, MC-R3 satellite receiver and a specially designed inertial sensor, you can operate a dozer at a higher gear with smoother results than possible with traditional grading methods."

"It literally changes the way contractors will look at the finish grading process," Lodge said.

"This new addition to the Topcon family of machine control products will drastically change the role of dozer operation on a typical job site. Of course, as the speed increases, we can do more work in less time. That means less operating time, less fuel, less wear on a machine and most importantly, more time that can be spent on other work in other areas."

Increasing the speed of a dozer "is a no-brainer when it comes to increasing productivity," Lodge said. "With the 3D-MC2 system, you can simply make a pass faster."  Lodge said, "To introduce a system of this type with the added benefit of a smoother finish grade is a revolutionary achievement for the construction industry."

The potential benefits of having the option of being able to grade twice as fast as you normally would give contractors an "incredible competitive edge," he said. "Fine grading with a dozer is typically done in first gear. You are trained to go at a slow rate. You go too fast and the ground looks like a wave pool.  But having access to a system that allows you to grade faster, and at the same time achieve maximum smoothness is a major plus for contractors."

A main focus of the Topcon's booth (S-16505 - South Hall, second level) is a one-of-a-kind simulation of the 3D-MC2 technology with the "Topcon Dozer Arena." The revolutionary technology is also featured in a new Satellite Theater presentation titled "Control Your World."

About Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems, a developer and manufacturer of positioning equipment, offers the world’s leading selection of innovating precision GPS, GIS, laser, agriculture, optical surveying, and machine control products, software, and applications.  Topcon Corporation is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732).